Innovative therapy can helps babies with autism risk:According to a new study recently published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry, early intervention may help babies with higher autism risk to lessen the symptoms, however will not prevent or eliminate the disorder. The researchers studied at 54 babies who had an older sibling with an autism diagnosis. Past studies have shown that about 20 percent of such babies will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and another 20 percent to 30 percent will be diagnosed with other social and communication disorders. Results of the study indicate, that the babies of parents who completed the therapy were moderately more engaged with other people, did a better job of paying attention and showed more social behaviors, compared with babies whose parents didn’t participate. As Mayada Elsabbagh, one of the study’s researchers and an assistant professor of psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal explained: “We preach this idea that intervention changes something in the brain, but we rarely have proof of that. This is one of the first times in my career that I’ve seen that so clearly.”

Kids will consume more veggies after play: According to a new study to be published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine, children given time to play before meal are much more likely to eat fruits and vegetables than children who play after they eat. As part of the study, the researchers engaged seven schools with children from 1st to 6th grade. Three of the schools switched recess from after to before lunch, while four similar schools were used as controls and kept recess after lunch. The data collected over a 2-weeks period indicated, that moving recess to before lunch increased consumption of fruits and vegetables by 54%. Pre-lunch recess also increased the number of children eating at least one serving of fruits or vegetables by 10%. And this simple change also brought dramatic reduction in wasted food, by about 40%. Researchers explain, that young children are always excited to go play, so they’ll rush through their meal and will only eat the quickest and easiest food. However, if they’ve already played enough, not only they will not rush through their meal, but they have also worked up an appetite before eating and are much more likely to eat what is on their plate, including fruits and vegetables.

Chilled Fruit Salad with CoconutThis easy recipe for a chilled fruit salad with coconut chips and coconut water is a sweet, crunchy, colorful way to get your kids excited about eating a variety of fruit.